De Blasio again defends wife's top aide

Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray pose for photographs in front of a model of the Empire State Building after performing a ceremonial lighting of the building for NYC Go Purple Day, Wednesday, October 15, 2014. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that none of the revelations about his wife's top aide raises questions about her judgment.

"Nope, none at all," de Blasio answered in response to a question about Rachel Noerdlinger, the $170,000-a-year chief of staff to first lady Chirlane McCray and a policy adviser to the administration.

For weeks, Noerdlinger, a onetime spokeswoman for the Rev. Al Sharpton, has been buffeted by news reports about her debts, her live-in boyfriend, her failures to disclose them on background checks and incendiary postings on social media by her boyfriend and her son.

The administration has steadfastly backed Noerdlinger, slamming coverage as petty, unfair, and sensationalistic.

"I think it's very clear in everything I've said that I have faith in her work as a public servant," de Blasio said after an event on combating domestic violence. "I think she's doing very good work for the city."

A city probe prompted by the reports found that Noerdlinger unintentionally failed to disclose on a background check form that she was living with boyfriend Hassaun McFarlan. He has a long rap sheet, including for manslaughter and drug trafficking. He also referred to cops as "pigs" on social media.

It's a controversy that frayed his relationship with the unions representing NYPD officers, especially after the only disciplinary action taken against her was a note placed in her file. The administration won't release the probe's findings, or provide a specific legal basis for withholding it.

She has a federal tax lien, credit card debt, and thousands in outstanding E-ZPass charges and tickets.